Sunday, February 8, 2015

Getting Back On Track

There was a time when I would have said any excuse not to go
to the gym was inexcusable. Unfortunately as my life would go I have since had
to go full-on hypocrite, and miss days at the gym myself, quite a few of them
in the last month, and for reasons that are totally beyond my control. Again,
something I would have at one time looked down upon in others, and have to now
sort out within my own life, so I figured I would share some of my observations
and suggestions. As with most of my observations and suggestions, they come
from personal experience using my favorite test subject, myself.

Let’s get one thing straight, before we get started. I still
reserve the right to judge, just like I give you the right to judge. Actually I
don’t give you the right to do anything; you just have the right to judge. This
is one of the most important parts of life because judgment is what shapes us.
Judgment is the tool in which we decide what we do or do not want to become
with ourselves, and those that say you can’t judge others usually just realize
that they have something judge-worthy that they don’t want to change about
themselves. I and everyone else have one of these things at the very least, but
one of the many reasons I write is because I have found it in myself to change
something and want to share it in case someone else does to and needs a little
push.

Now that I have gotten that out of the way, today is a
perfect example of a day I couldn’t go to the gym. It is snowing outside, and I
promised my wife that I wouldn’t drive in the wee hours when it is snowing.
Something that was judged and I changed it. To make this easier on myself I had
to set up a set of moral rules that I would follow in these circumstances, and
so far I have followed them. The first of these rules is that I would
compensate for as many of the things I am missing on a workout day as I can.
The easiest of which, depending on attitude, is the amount of “steps” that I
would take pacing around the gym between sets.

Now once I have done my morning rituals, and it is the usual
time to leave for the gym, I put on the sweats, tie on the sneakers, and take a
walk around the neighborhood. I have to make up for at the very least 4000
steps, and at the very most 5000 steps. These are the averages that I would
have when I get home from the gym, and whether it is snowing or not I can go
get that. Shoveling all of the snow will make up for a usual “off day” cardio
routine, including the core exercises like the lower back, oblique, and
abdominals. This satisfies my need to “maintain” my healthy lifestyle, on the
days when I can’t exactly “fulfill” my healthy intentions.

What is probably more important than what you do during the
days you can’t make it to the gym are the days you make it back after a hiatus.
Here’s where I will spare you any judgment and let you fill in your own reasons
for not going to the gym. This is simply how you get back into it based on my
gym return experiences. Now a days I have only missed the gym for a few reasons
(snow, cholesterol tests, work responsibilities) and it has yet to spread out
to more than two days over the last three years. The one exception was when my
wife was in the hospital, and I just couldn’t get my mind in to it for four
days, so I skipped to avoid hurting myself. “Not Hurting Yourself” is the most
important thing to keep in mind if you miss gym days, and are on your way back
in.

Use the right attitude to your advantage when you get back
to the gym. In my case I instinctively know that it is time to “go light” or in
other words, start with a lighter weight than you did the last time. In general
my ego usually gets in the way of doing this, but I have found it is always a
good idea to “go light” at least once a month. Strict focus on your muscles you
are working, and strict focus on doing each rep perfectly is the goal here, and
it will do a LOT of good. I also tend to walk in like a conquering hero on the
way back from a medieval quest, because I missed being there. Always makes for
good conversation with all of the people I am used to seeing at the gym during
my normal times.

Here’s where you will have to use your own ideas as to how
you approach getting back to the gym. If it’s been a day or two it’s easy to
just say hi and go about your workout. If it’s been weeks or months then I know
all too well what it is like to be a bit embarrassed with ourselves. I have
experience with the months but not the weeks. In the case of months, nobody
remembers you anyway, just go in like any old newcomer would, and get your
workout on. If you are dealing with legitimate friends be honest about why you
haven’t been there. Lazy is probably the best excuse, since it will get laughed
away and not bring on the butt of jokes angle every time you walk in.

In reality know this; I have personally only
known three types of people that stare. Those that are jealous, and want to do
something obnoxious sooner or later, those that are trying to do what you are
doing or those that want to help you with what you are doing because you are
making a mistake of some sort that they wish someone had helped them with. The
first is a waste of space, and the other two are going to become your new
friends. Remember that it is all good as long as you go to the gym to worry
about YOU, even if you have to take a little time to judge those that you do or
do not want to be like. It’s the stupid people that go around telling them.

I have been bouncing around online for just about 20 years, so I have been there and have done that. It doesn't mean I didn't like it and wouldn't do it again. As most humans, I am a social animal. To be a social animal on the internet it is social media that binds us all together. I prefer Google + and Twitter but have pages on the other ones that I ignore, so you probably should too.

My Blogging

I blog a lot. If you don't like people that blog a lot then I don't know how you got here to begin with. You may want to just move along.

Contrary to popular opinion I hate politics, but have political opinions ..

The easiest way to get under my skin is to apply the "all you talk about is politics" tag. This is a common knee jerk reaction some have when they see something political, and unfortunately I don't hold back sometimes. As a matter of fact, I share more about health, fitness and blogging than politics, which you would know if you weren't busy dismissing me. I actually follow and interact with more people that disagree with me than agree with me politically. The list of "other than politics" seems to be growing everyday and it probably looks a lot like this: